The Kazekage's Bodyguard
by PretenceOfTheNight
Summary: "I think that at this point I have to tell you that my brother is not the easiest person there is and he'll most probably not be happy about your arrival as he denied any sort of protection. You know, I suppose, that he is a former jinchūriki." "Don't worry." Hinata said with a smirk. "If your brother is supposed to be the daemon, then I am hell itself." / GaaHina
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto 'cause If I did I would have already made NaruHina cannon-lol! ^^**

_This is a story that has been stuck in my head for a long time now and I couldn't help but write it. It is going to be a GaaHina story which means you should be prepared for a lot of drama and love and adventure!_

**Prologue**

Thunders were roaring in the skies and lightning was tearing the night in two, making the Hyuga leader open his white eyes in a startle. Hiashi threw his neat covers away and sat on the edge of his bed. He sighed while rubbing his head from that annoying headache that didn't seem willing to let him be. And to think that sleep was supposed to alleviate any kind of pain, not cause it.

"What a nightmare." He murmured and sighed once more as he ran a hand through his long dark locks of hair. He stood up and exited his room to check if Hanabi was alright. Even if his youngest never wanted to admit any kind of weakness, she was afraid of storms and he was sure that during a storm like that she would be already hiding under her bed and crying. When he opened the door of her room though, he saw nothing like that. Hanabi was sleeping in peace and he smiled in content before he closed the door of her room once more. He had to always remind himself that she wasn't a little kid anymore because at the age of thirteen she could be considered anything but a little kid.

"She probably got over that phobia a long time ago" He whispered under his breath and a melancholic feeling enchanted his eyes. His daughters were growing up faster than he had expected. His daughters…

He turned around and looked at the closed door of the room that belonged to his eldest, his firstborn and heir.

"Daughters…" He tested the word on his lips as if it didn't sound right. Ever since his wife died, he treated Hinata as anything but his daughter and always pretended that he only had one child. He had hurt her feelings countless of times and he never gifted her with the love she deserved- even if she deserved plenty. Some said it was because of how much Hinata actually looked like his wife and how that fact alone was causing him pain, but it wasn't that- it had never been about that.

He was about to open the door of her room and see if she was alright when he suddenly stopped and let his hand drop from the shining gold doorknob. He then turned around and walked away. He was a coward, he had to admit. For the best part of his life he had tried to persuade everyone of the strong and cold-hearted person he was. But was he? If asked a few years back he would have answered to a question like that, but he didn't know any more.

A sudden loud sound coming from downstairs made his head jerk up at once. He immediately ran downstairs and inside the living room. It was dark. Not a single light was there to break the darkness. Hiashi stood there without activating his byakugan. He stayed quiet and looked around the eerie silent room. Something was wrong, he could feel it in the pit of his stomach.

And then a laugh broke the silence. It was a dark laugh. A laugh Hiashi knew pretty well. Thunders and lightings crashed the skies and silver light broke the darkness and filled the room.

"You haven't changed at all Hiashi." A man walked out of the shadows, while dragging a girl with him. "Even after all those years, you are still the same. Cold. Heartless." Hiashi looked closely at the man whose deformed face and wicked smile bore no hint of the man he once used to be. Only the mark on his forehead proved that he once used to be a caged bird, but even that mark was not like the others and its bloody red color proved that somehow he had managed to break it. Hiashi looked into the girls light lavender pupil-less eyes. They were begging him to help. They were pleading him to prove, even if it was for one last time, that he cared even the sliest for her, his daughter.

The man was keeping her mouth and screams muffled with his hand while keeping a kunai against her creamy white neck.

"Look at her Hiashi. Isn't she beautiful? Just like her mother." Said the man and laughed. "Poor Hikari. She never had the chance to see her daughter grow up. Maybe, if I hadn't killed her all those years ago then she would be in position to accompany you to death now. It must feel lonely to die alone, while everyone hates you and considers you their enemy." The white eyes of the man bore into Hiashi's soul, as if reading his heart and feelings and thoughts. "In the end" The man ran the tip of the kunai on Hinata's neck, bearly touching her skin. She shivered in fear, but the man didn't let her go. "In the end" The man said once more. "They are the only ones who truly love us when we are on the verge of our death. Our children. And even your eldest child, even the daughter you never loved, will love you and cry her heart out over your corpse when your last breath leaves your body. But you, Hiashi, you never loved anyone. You never cried over anyone, not even your wife. That's why you'll die today. You'll pay for all your crimes with your life."

Hiashi just stood there looking at the man who carried familiar blood in his veins.

"Just let her go" Hiashi then said, letting no emotion stain his voice. Instead his voice was calm. He had waited for this moment to come for many years now and it didn't surprise him the least that this moment had finally come on the tenth anniversary of his brother's death. "Just let her live and I'll welcome death with open arms". He was not going to fight. Not today. Not after everything he had done. But at least, right before his death, he wanted to make sure that his daughter would live. Hi daughter. His dear dear daughter that he was never able to gift with the love she deserved.

The man threw Hinata on the wooden floor and before she could even blink he ran towards Hiashi with his kunai aiming at his heart.

And as he felt the cold metal pierce his flesh, he looked into his daughter's teary eyes one last time. And then, after so long, he finally felt at peace. In his child's eyes he felt at peace.

"Sweet dreams…" The man whispered so quietly that only Hiashi could hear him. "…brother."

He let Hiashi's body fall lifeless on the floor. He stopped and stared as the Hyuga leader's blood stained the wooden floor and painted his white robes red. And then his eyes. His Hyuga eyes that were still wide open with sadness clearly pictured within them.

The man turned and looked at Hinata who was trembling and crying. She shot her head up and looked at him through wide angry and sad eyes.

"Why?" She screamed in despair. "Why did you have to take my father? Who are you?"

"I am no man" He said with a voice as cold as ice. "I'm not alive. I'm not dead. I once had a heart but your father ripped that heart away among with my son. What I did today is called revenge. You will understand what I mean one day as one day you'll do to me what I did to your father today. But until then you'll have to live in pain and sorrow, like I did for years and years."

Hinata was about to stand up and attack the man when a sudden hit on the back of her head turned her world into complete darkness.

The next thing she remembered was leaving the clan once and for all.

* * *

OK this was it- the prologue. Just to let you know the story will be set a few years after Hiahi's death. Here in the prologue Hinata is supposed to be sixteen and in the next chapter she will be nineteen or twenty. Garra will enter the story in the next chapter.

I haven't decided on other pairings just yet, so if you have any preferences on a specific couple just tell me please.

I hope you liked that chapter! ^^

By the way I'll rate that story **T **for now but I might as well change it so I can probably write a small-tiny lemon in the future (not anything graphic though), but I've still decided on that matter.


	2. Chapter 1: A New Life

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto 'cause If I did I would have already made NaruHina cannon-lol! ^^**

**Chapter 1: A New Life**

Tsunade looked at Hinata and sighed. It had been the third time in only one month that she showed up in her office drenched in blood after successfully completing a mission.

"You should be more careful, you know" Tsunade said as Hinata kept standing before her desk with an impassive expression all over her dirty and scratched face.

"I am careful, Tsunade-sama"

"Really?" Tsunade stood up from her chair to show Hinata she wasn't kidding this time. "Showing up at my office drenched in your own blood for the third time this month is not what I call careful!"

"Sorry, I didn't mean to stain your carpet or anything. I'll make sure to take a shower and change from my Anbu uniform the next time I come to hand you the report for the mission." Hinata sarcastically said and Tsunade narrowed her eyes at her.

"Cut the sarcasm!" She shouted and punched her fist on her desk. "You are wounded and you still pretend it is nothing!"

"It **is** nothing." Hinata said more obediently this time. "Just minor cuts, that's all. There's no need to worry."

"How long do you think you'll have the power to keep standing? One day your feet won't be strong enough to help you keep going Hinata! The last time you had a deep wound in your arm and decided to heal it on your own instead of going to the hospital because as you said it was nothing important. Do you want me to remind you what happened after that? Do you want me to remind you how you almost lost your arm due to sever infection?!"

"But nothing happened in the end." Hinata protested. "My arm is as good as new. But have you ever considered that you are the one who is overreacting?"

"You are careless" Tsunade said and her face softened. She now looked more like a mother worrying about her child than a Hokage. Hinata hated it whenever she would obtain that look. It made her feel weak. "You are going to die if you keep up with this, Hinata. Is that what you're trying to do? Have death as the solution of all your problems?"

Hinata stayed silent and looked at her for a moment before she dumped the paper file with her mission report on Tsunade's desk, bowed and turned around to leave without a second word. It was until Tsunade's words stopped her though.

"It's almost been four years already Hinata. For how much longer will you let yourself drown in sadness?"

A bitter chuckle left Hinata's lips.

"I won't rest until the day I kill him the way he killed my father" Hinata said with her words dripping with honesty. She then turned and looked at Tsunade over her shoulder. "And besides, you are not my mother to question my actions."

"Hinata-"

"Have a nice day Hokage-sama" And with that she left Tsunade's office and the Hokage Tower.

She didn't need to rush and get home though. She walked through the streets of Konoha with no rush as there was no way anyone would see her during that hour. The sun hadn't even reached the sky just yet and only a yellow and orange light could be seen in the distance, signalling the morning that was bound to come.

When she entered her house, she locked the front door and headed straight to the bathroom where she discarded all of her clothes to check her wounds while the leaving the sink open to fill her bathtub.

And as she cleaned her wounds and the blood on her body she couldn't help but wince at times. Yes, this time she got nothing but minor cuts, but damn, did they hurt. She had gone through worst though and so she was somewhat used to the pain. Ever since she became an Anbu two years back, her life had been constantly on the line, most of the times because she didn't care whether she died or not and just fought. There was nobody waiting for her to return back home after all and she had no family to mourn for her when her death would come as her decision to leave the clan had every Hyuga turn his or her back to her. Everyone aside from Neji who, despite the orders of the Hyuga council, would visit and talk with her for a bit whenever she had free time from her missions.

She didn't care about the Hyugas any more though. They had been nothing but a pain in the ass for the greatest part of her life. She had disowned herself from the clan right after her father's funeral and with Tsunade's help and thanks to a few money she had saved she had managed to buy an old and small apartment in the centre of Konoha and next to the open market. Her new life offered her a freedom she had never before and she was happy that she had left everything behind, or so she was trying to convince herself.

She looked herself in the mirror that was hanging right above the sink in her bathroom. Yes, she was free, but at what cost? She raised her hand and touched the mark on her forehead with the tips of her now trembling fingers. They had marked her before she left. They said that they couldn't do or else. They said that they had to protect the secret technique of the byakugan because if she was ever to be captured and killed by enemies then all the secrets considering the Hyuga power would be in their hands and the caged bird seal would prevent something like that from happening.

A caged bird but free. A bitter chuckle left her lips as she looked at her reflection on the mirror. She truly was pitiful.

She walked towards the bathtub and let her self sink into the hot water, letting it take away everything she had- the pain from her wounds among with memories and feelings.

She closed her eyes as she let her tiredness and exhaustion overtake her. And as sleep slowly took her away from the world of consciousness she found herself in that dark room again. The smell of blood made her want to puke. She tried hard to get up but she couldn't, as if invisible chains where holding her pinned on the ground. And then that laugh again. That wicked cold laugh that pierced her ears and his eyes that bore the promise of death. She watched as he stood over her father's bloody and lifeless body on the hard wooden floor with an evil smirk crossing his face.

She opened her mouth to scream and call for help but no sound left her throat. And that other feeling. She brought her hands to her neck. She couldn't breath- no matter what she would do she just couldn't breath. She started trembling as she laid on the ground, fighting for air. She felt her lungs pressing against her ribs and chest as a continuous knocking sound filled her ears.

She immediately opened her eyes and panicked when she realized she still couldn't breathe. She immediately stood up, taking her head outside the water that had now gone cold and tried to get out of the bathtub while trying to catch her breath once more.

She walked out of the bathroom and inside her bedroom where she collapsed on the carpeted floor with eyes wide as someone kept knocking on her front door. She stayed there on the floor of her room for a minute while trying to control her breathing once more. And she a young female voice started calling her name from outside her apartment, she stood up, got dressed and quickly dried her hair with a towel before rushing to open the front door.

A young girl stood in front of her once she opened the door. Her eyes were white and empty like those of her relatives. She had her shoulder length dark brown hair held up in a ponytail and the chuunin west she was wearing proved her ninja rank.

"You are a mess" The girl said flatly and walked inside the apartment without even waiting for Hinata's permission. Hinata crossed her arms over her chest and smirked.

"You haven't seen me for more than two weeks now and the first thing you tell me is that I look a mess?" Hinata sarcastically said. "You just have no tact Hanabi"

"Yeah right, as if I care whether I have tact or not." Hanabi said boringly and walked inside the small kitchen where she jumped and sat on the counter while Hinata started making tea for them both, without exchanging a single word with her sixteen year old sister.

"So" Hinata said while pouring tea in two porcelain cups. "Where do I owe the honour of having you in my house?"

"To the Hyuga council I guess." Hanabi said and Hinata furrowed her eyebrows at that.

"Hanabi, I've told you a lot of time that I don't want to know anything about the Hyug-"

"They want to marry me off damn it!" Hanabi snapped making Hinata's eyes widen in shock.

"What? Marry you off? Why?"

"They think that the Hyuga clan has been left without a leader for way too long and since you are disowned and Neji is a Branch House member, I am the only one left to become the leader of our fucked up clan. But of course they wouldn't let a woman take charge of a whole clan on her own and thus they want me to have a husband!" Hanabi was on the verge of tears as Hinata leaned against the counter and sighed.

"That's bad…" Hinata said and shook her head not believing what Hanabi had just told her. "You're just a child. They can't just make you get married!"

"Can't you do something about it?" Hanabi asked her older sister with her eyes filled with hope, but Hinata just laughed.

"I don't think so. Even if I was to talk them through this they wouldn't listen. You said it yourself Hanabi. I no longer belong to the Hyuga Clan. For them I am dead. End of the discussion. I can persuade the Hokage to do something about it, but that's the only thing I can do."

"That is stupid!" Hanabi shouted. "You killed Sasuke Uchiha! There must be something you can do!" Indeed Hinata had killed Sasuke two years ago during the war. That was also the main reason Naruto wanted nothing to do with her. Even when the village called her a hero for killing a man that had caused them so much pain, a man who had killed many and would kill many more if left alive, Naruto turned his back on her and they never exchanged a single word for the two years that followed. Not that she cared. She had gotten over that stupid crush she had for him the same night her father was killed- the same night her heart was ripped away. She had realized the fool Naruto was when he decided that he hated her for killing Sasuke. Because no matter what or who, she wouldn't miss the opportunity of killing a criminal like Uchiha Sasuke just because Naruto's feelings would be hurt.

Hanabi touched the sapphire coloured mark on her sister's forehead and sighed. Hinata smiled. She knew what Hanabi was thinking.

"No" She said and took Hanabi's hand in hers. "Don't even think of leaving the clan like I did."

"But you are free." Hinata laughed at that.

"For as long as I live I will never be free, Hanabi. Until I kill him I will forever be imprisoned in a never ending nightmare. But we all live in our own prison, don't we? Whether this prison is built with bricks or our feelings, each and every one of us lives in his own prison, but this seal is something else, Hanabi. This seal is death itself, because only death can take it away. And the Hyuga clan is already a prison for you. If you receive that seal it will just be unbearable."

"And how do you bare it?" A sad smile graced Hinata's lips. Only her sister was able to wake up those feelings inside her. When in front of others she was the strong and cold ex Hyuga heir, but when talking with her sister she would feel like a broken child again.

"I don't." She sighed once more before she shook her head to regain her composure. "Anyway, I'm sure that there must be some kind of law in those dusty old books they have locked in the basement under the Hyuga compound for many years now that will help you with your problem. I'll discuss with Tsunade to pressure a research in those books, which means that you don't have to worry." She then smirked. "And now get your ass off my kitchen counter and wait a minute till I change into something else."

Hanabi raised an eyebrow at that. "Hey sis, are you by any chance thinking of taking me to Ichiraku's for Ramen?"

"Are you crazy?" Hinata shouted from her bedroom. "It's 9.30 in the morning."

"You are no fun some times…" Hanabi mumbled under her breath with a groan.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

When she walked through the front glass doors of the hospital she had already bid Hanabi goodbye before she could leave for yet another simple mission with her team. Sometimes she couldn't help but look back with melancholy at those days when she too only had to care about simple missions like that, because the missions she would get as an Anbu were anything but simple and easy.

The young woman sitting at the reception immediately stood up but Hinata stopped her with her reply.

"I know my way around" She said with her voice as cold as the ice. Indeed the hospital had ended up becoming something like her second home considering that she always returned a total mess from her missions. And then she remembered the discussion she had with Tsunade earlier and she couldn't help but silently agree with whatever Tsunade had said, but she also couldn't help but admit that she no longer cared whether she lived or died. Nothing mattered any more. She once had dreamt of getting married and having children. That all belonged to the past though as her whole purpose in life was no other than killing the murderer of her parents.

She was walking past a hospital room when she saw a familiar figure lying on a bed inside and moaning in pain. She stopped to see if she was mistaken but when she got a closer look to the heavily bandaged man who was screaming in pain while holding his head with his hands she was sure that he was no other Ko Hyuga, the man who was responsible for her safety when she was younger. She pitied him as she saw him in so much pain with nurses and doctors rushing to his aid. Hinata caught a nurse by the arm and stopped her as she was exiting Ko's room.

"What happened to him?"

"I'm afraid this is something that I can't tell you as it is medical confidentiality and-"

"I'll ask you one last time and I'll patiently wait for your reply. This is a friend of mine in there. What happened to him?" The nurse shuddered at Hinata's cold voice and stare.

"He… he suffers from major intracerebral pain. It is the fourth incident we receive this week and all of them were Hyugas."

"Hyugas…" Hinata mumbled and let go of the nurse's arm, who quickly ran away in fear. Hinata turned and looked at Ko again until a doctor closed the door of his room in order to check his condition. Hinata sighed and walked away. Intracerebral pain they said. What fools they were. The cause of Ko's suffering was clear to even those outside the Hyuga clan yet everyone was afraid to adfmit it. During the last six months the branch house members had decided to rebel against the harsh leadership of the Hyuga Elders who had been in charge ever since her father's death. And of course, against all laws, the Elders had started using the caged bird seals in order to stop the rebellion. Many branch house members had accussed her of betrayal because they said that if she hadn't left the clan then she would be the leader and they wouldn't suffer as much as they did under the leadership of the Hyuga Counsil.

She was heading towards Shizune's office so that she could help her with an intence pain she had on her right ribs by a hit she had received on her last mission when she saw Kiba and Akamaru turning around the corner with their faces lighting up once they saw her.

"Hinata!" Kiba ran towards her and hugeed her had been quiet a long time since he had last seen her as his gennin team was receiving most of his time and dedication every day and her missions left her from minimum to none free time at all. Kiba hugged her for a moment but she didn't respond to his heart although something in her heart started to ache. How had she become like this not even she could understand.

She raised her hand and lightly patted him on the back before they broke from they're hug.

"Long time no see Kiba." She said and he goofily smiled.

"Yeah. It has been long hasn't it? I don't even have time to breathe with my gennin team and Shino is in the same situation I am although his students are way more troublesome than mine." He said and laughed. "I never thought it would be that hard to prepare a banch of kids for the upcoming chuunin exams, not to mention the responsibility we have whenever we go on missions. And to think that we were worse than them when we were at their age. What about you? What have you been doing lately?"

"Missions, missions and… missions." She said and Kiba laughed once more.

"Vey interesting. Since the Anbu is such a trouble why don't you become a jounin once more and get a genin team as well. From what I recall You used to love kids like hell."

"No thanks. I'm fine the way I am now. And nonstop missions are not all that bad.. They help me forget of my problems for a while." Kiba's face saddened a bit at her words. He patted her head and smiled then though. She sure wasn't the sweet and shy Hinata he first met all those years back but she still was his best friend. She still had that unique beauty he had to admit. He laughed.

"You may want to play it tough now but you still are short." He said teasingly and she couldn't help but chuckle a bit. "Heading to Shizune's for pain killers again?" He asked her and she shook her head no.

"No, I want her to check on a wound I got on my last mission."

"Anything serious?"

"Nah, kiddie stuff. Nothing that I need to worry about."

"Ok then" He said and smiled goofily once more. "I'll see you around then Hinata." He waved at her goodbye and left.

She continued her way towards Shizune's office. She felt lonely once more when Kiba left. She had gotten so used to the loneliness that whenever a friend decided to spend some time with her and then left, it felt unbareable for her to return to that loneiness again.

She opened the door of Shizune's office without knocking, but the woman with the pink hair examining a patient inside was the last person Hinata wanted to see at that moment.

She watched in silence as Sakura bandaged the young chuunin's chest and gave him a bottle of healing ointment before the fourteen year old patient left the office and Sakura turned to acknowledge her. The pinkete's face bore no sign of happiness though.

"Hinata. Can I help you with something?" She asked with bitterness staining her voice. Sakura, much like Naruto, hated her for killing Sasuke, with the exception that she would still talk to her. And her words where heavy and full of hate and wrathe. It was amazing how a friend could turn into an enemy from one day to another.

"Actually no. I was looking for Shizune, but since she is not here at the moment I might as well come later." She'd rather bear the pain a thousand years than let Sakura heal her. Hinata turned around to live when Sakura's voice stopped her.

"How can you even sleep at nights knowing what you did two years ago?" Sakura burst like she did every time. "You killed him! You Killed Sasuke!" At that Hinata laughed. She let her hand slip from the doorknob and turned around to look at Sakura.

"Yeah, I killed him. And do you know what? I don't regret it one bit!" In a flash Sakura had Hinata pinned against the wall with her hands tightening around her neck. Hinata just looked at her apathetically though.

"Shut up! You have no shame? He was a comnrade! He was a friend!" Sakura shouted in her face.

"He was nothing but a traitor and an enemy! A murderer who would loose no chance in stabbing you on the back and taking your life away! Why don't you get that into your empty head once and for all? The Sasuke you remember as your friend died long before I killed him! He died the night he decided to leave everything behind!" Hinata shouted back and her and then slapped Sakura's hands away from her neck. "If you don't reallize then you will forever be nothing but a pathetic woman who spared her tears for someone who never deserved all her pain and sadness!"

Sakura screamed and landed on Hinata, throwing her on the floor. She started punching her on the face while screaming at her all the time. Hinata did nothing to stop her though. She just stayed there taking her hits when Ino suddenly came into the office after hearing all those screams and threw Sakura off from Hinata.

"Stop it Sakura!" Ino tried to restrain Sakura from landing on Hinata once more. "Have you lost your mind? Do you want to kill her?!"

"YES!" Sakura shouted at her. "I want to kill her like she killed Sasuke! Just let go of me Ino! You out of everyone should understand."

"No! I don't understand why you keep bringing up what's supposed to be left in the past. Hinata did what was the right thing to do that day. Sasuke was an enemy, Sakura! Why don't you accept that already like I accepted it even before the war broke out?"

"No let go of me!" Sakura was trembling all over as tears were now pouring out of her eyes. "I SAID LET GO!"

"ENOUGH!" Tsunade yelled as she stood at the open door while nurses and doctors had gathered outside, trying to find out what was going on. "Shizune take Sakura so she can lie and relax in another room." Shizune quickly complied and helped a broken Sakura walk out of her office. Tsunade closed the door once they left and among with Ino they helped Hinata stand up from the floor and sit down on a nearby chair while they were cleaning the wounds on her face. Blood was running from her lips and nose as two heavy rbuises had already started to form on her left cheek and close to her chin.

"Are you in pain?" Tsunade asked but Hinata shook her head no.

"I'm fine." Hinata said. "I'm always fine"

"Why didn't you hit her back?" Ino couldn't help but ask.

"It doesn't matter any more." Hinata said and turned her gaze towards the beautiful and relaxing scenery outside the window. She hadn't hit Sakura back for many reasons. Despite everything, Sakura used to be a friend of hers once and she understood her pain. That pain that can drive you to unbelievable extents. She had let Sakura bring all of her hate out on her and she accepted her hits thinking that they might make her feel better- feel like she was taking justice for the loss of Sasuke. She too wanted to find justice for the deaths of her parents one day and so she knew.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The next morning Tsunade urgently called her at her office. Hinata thought that she was going to be sent for yet another mission, but she was wrong. A letter was secretly sent to Tsunade in the middle of the night telling her about the assassination attempts against the Kazekage that the more time that passed the more the assassination attempts would become. Temari had secretly sent the letter, expressing her fear for Gaara's life. She was sure that Gaara was more than just capable of protecting his self, but she wanted to be totally sure of his safety and thus she asked for one of Konoha's best Anbus to serve as Gaara's bodyguard. And Tsunade had chosen Hinata.

She accepted without a second thought. Leaving from the village for a while would make her life easier.

Before leaving though she asked for Tsunade to arrange a meeting with the Hyuga council. She had informed her of everything the Hyuga Elders were doing and decided that they had to do something as soon as possible before she could leave for Suna. After a lot of pestering the Hyuga Elders finally accepted the Hokage's request. They met at the Hokage's office, but they weren't willing to spare a lot of their time for a discussion with the ex Hyuga Heiress. Tsunade and Hinata questioned their actions against the branch house members, but they denied to listen. They said that Hinata had no saying on matters that involved the clan as she no longer belonged with them and the same went for the Hokage, who despite all the power she had she had no power over the Hyuga clan, as they said. And their meeting ended there.

And now, four days after Temari's letter arrived at Tsunade's hands, Hinata was standing in front of Konoha's open gates in the dead of the night all packed up and ready to go. Shizune and Tsunade were there to bid her goodbye. She had given her farewells to Neji, Kiba and Shino that morning, but as Hanabi was still on her missions, she would be informed of Hinata's departure once she returned to the village. Hinata just didn't want to think of how her younger sister would react to that.

"Have a safe trip." Tsunade said, her voice resembling that of a worried mother's. After leaving the clan Hinata was taken under Tsunade's protective wing and over the years Tsunade had started to feel her like her own child. "And once you arrive at write at me at once. And if you wish to return don't hesitate to inform me."

"I'll keep that in mind." Hinata said and couldn't help but smirk at Tsunade's unusually warm and caring words. "Please don't forget to do something about my sister's issue. As I'm not going to be here I won't be able to protect her and-"

"I'll take care of everything." Tsunade reassured her and Hinata nodded her head in gratitude. "There's something more though." She watched as Tsunade took out an Anbu mask from within her purse and gave it to her. It was no just any Anbu mask though. It was her Anbu mask. Her panda like Anbu mask. Hinata raised her head giving Tsunade a questioning look.

She had given her Anbu uniform and mask back to Tsunade two days back and she couldn't understand why Tsunade was giving this to her now.

"This is my promise to you that once the danger considering the Kazekage's life vanishes; Konoha will be waiting for you to return to your duties as one of the best Anbu we have. Although a more careful Anbu when that time comes I hope."

Hinata brushed her fingers over he mask and an almost invisible smile graced her lips.

"It's a promise then."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

It took one and a half day for her to reach Suna. She had only rested for a couple of hours during her journey, but when she arrived at Suna she felt more intrigued to meet the person she was supposed to protect, than tired. She didn't remember him at all, that Sabaku no Gaara, the Kazekage of Suna, but she did remember his name mentioned during her first chuunin exams, but nothing more than that. Some would call her crazy to not being able to remember him, but after so many years and so many hardships the last thing she would remember was who Gaara was.

Guards were waiting for her at the front gates of Suna and they escorted her to the Kazekage tower where a beautiful young woman with blond hair held in four ponytails and green sparkling eyes. Hinata had no trouble realizing who she was. That young woman was no other than Sabaku no Temari. Even if they had never talked before Hinata came to know a lot about her through Shikamaru who was for some time her Anbu partner until he turned back to being a jonin because of the too troublesome missions Anbus got to have.

She saw Temari smirk as she walked towards her.

"Welcome to Suna. It is a pleasure to see that Tsunade sent a woman instead of a stuck up know it all man like the last time. My name is Temari. Nice to meet you."

"The pleasure is all mine, Temari-san. I'm Hinata." Temari raised an eyebrow at that.

"No surname? Although it is easy to understand you are a Hyuga by just looking at your eyes"

"I like to not think about it." Hinata said and Temari nodded her head without asking anything more.

She motioned for Hinata to follow her towards Gaara's office, but they stopped once they reached their destination.

"I think that at this point I have to tell you that my brother is not the easiest person there is and he'll most probably not be happy about your arrival as he denied any sort of protection. You know, I suppose, that he is a former jinchūriki." Hinata nodded her head at that last thing Temari said. Even if she didn't remember who exactly he was, she knew that Sabaku no Gaara used to be the jinchūriki of Sukaku, the One-Tail beast, until it was extracted from inside him by the Akatsuki.

"Don't worry." Hinata said with a smirk. "If your brother is supposed to be the daemon, then I am hell itself."

Temari couldn't help but laugh at that. She had already started liking that girl. For once Tsunade had made the right choice.

Two guards opened the heavy wooden door leading to Gaara's office and once they walked inside Hinata watched as a young man with short, spiky auburn hair sitting behind a large wooden desk filled with papers, raised his head and pierced her with his green eyes.

Hinata bowed before him in respect as Temari informed him that she was sent by the Hokage to serve as his personal bodyguard and protect him from any harm. Gaara narrowed his eyes at that.

"I thought I asked for no help, Temari. Why can't you take my orders seriously for once?" Gaara said, but Temari didn't answer. Instead she sighed while mumbling something along the lines of 'stupid and egotistic little brother'. Gaara turned and looked at Hinata once more, staying silent for a minute as if trying to read the secrets hidden deep within her light lavender eyes, before he spoke up again. "I'm afraid we won't need of your services Miss, which means that you are free to return to your village." He was about to return to his paperwork when what Hinata said made him stop.

"I'm afraid that I can't do something like that Kazekage-sama" Her face was impassive, yet her voice and her words were strong and brave, which made the two guards waiting beside the doors of Gaara's office to look at her with somewhat wide eyes, because when every other ninja aside from the council and Gaara's siblings trembled in fear before him, she seemed the least fazed by his power or his position.

"Excuse me?"

"I only receive orders from my Hokage and my orders are to stay here and serve as your bodyguard. It has been already decided and I'm afraid that you can do nothing but to accept it." Gaara stood up from his chair somewhat angry with her dare and tempted by that young woman standing before him like no other did before.

"I am a Kazekage! I can protect my self without anyone's help!"

"I'm sure that there is no doubt about that Kazekage-sama. But why don't you leave you selfishness aside for a moment and put your people and your village before your pride? Because if you die then who will be worth enough of taking your place? And will that someone actually take care of Sunagakure or will he just make sure he lives in wealth while his people die on the streets?" Gaara sat back on his chair, feeling somewhat defeated.

"What's your name?" He asked, trying to prevent a smirk from crossing his lips.

"Hinata"

"Well Hinata, I hope your ninja skills are as strong as your words because from today on, you will be working as my personal bodyguard."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Gaara: What? That's it? You must be kidding me! You spent a whole chapter for stupid things and you only gave me a few lines in the end? What a disgrace!

Me: Well, I had to write a bit of Hinata's life before she arrives at Suna. She left you speechless though, didn't she?

Gaara: Shut up *blushes* I am a Kazekage. Nobody has the strength to leave me speechless.

Me: Yeah, I saw that panda boy… *rolls eyes*

Gaara: *mumbles* my fans still love me though *mumbles*

Next chapter coming up soon guys, so don't miss it!


	3. Chapter 2: Powerless

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto 'cause If I did I would have already made NaruHina cannon-lol! ^^**

Kankuro: WOW! You're quick! A new chapter already?

Me: Yeah *Proud smirk*

Kankuro: wow…

Me: I know!

Kankuro: I mean… wow…

Me: *rolls eyes* I know, you said that already…

Kankuro: I mean just… WOOOOOOOOOOW-OUCH! WHY DID YOU HIT ME WOMAN?

Me: Shut up already!

Kankuro: Or else?

Me: I'll call Hinata…

Kankuro: *sweat drops*

**Chapter 2: Powerless**

Hinata and Temari walked through the Kazekage residence and Hinata had to admit that this place was huge enough for half the village to stay.

"I have to admit that your meeting with my brother went better than I had thought. You are pretty persuasive; I have to give you that." Temari said with a laugh. "But try not to cross the line with him. Gaara was never praised for his short temper."

"I don't think that he'll be much of a trouble. My five year old godson is harder to handle than your brother." Hinata said and Temari laughed again.

"Your godson?"

"Yes. My sensei's only child. We named him Eiji, which means prosperity and peace as he was born during the Fourth Shinobi World War. But I guess you already know that Temari-san. Shikamaru must have told you. He is Eiji's godfather after all."

"So you are the Hinata that Shikamaru was talking about this other time. He considers you a very close friend."

"Well, he talks about you the whole time, you know. You can't believe how many hours of sleep did I loose during our Anbu missions while listening to him about you." Temari blushed at Hinata's information and then smiled.

"Oh you were Anbu partners as well, weren't you? Until Shikamaru turned back to being a jonin that is. You continued being an Anbu though, right?"

Hinata nodded her head and they continued to walk down the large hall with the crimson red carpet and the beautiful tapestries and paintings on the walls, until they stopped at the far end of the hall were two doors stood. Temari opened the left door and let Hinata walk inside first.

"This will be your room from now on." Temari informed her as Hinata's eyes kept roaming around the large and beautiful room with the dark blue walls, the beautiful carpets and carpets and the king sized bed with the numerous small and big fluffy cushions. That was not what caught Hinata's attention though. She had a room that looked more or less back at the Hyuga compound and it wouldn't matter for her if she had to sleep in a royal like room or a in a cupboard. For her it was the same. Money and wealth didn't matter as much as other things in this life. She walked towards the large windows and pulled the heavy curtains open to reveal mesmerizing scenery unrolling right before her eyes. She couldn't help but smile as the setting sun and the orange and red sky made Suna look magnificently beautiful at this time of the day. People were right to say that the sun shone more beautifully in Suna than in any other place they knew of.

"Exceptional view, isn't it?" Hinata nodded her head at Temari's question as she kept looking outside the window. "Gaara's room is the one right next to yours so that you can protect him if anything happens."

"Alright"

"Ok then. I shall leave you to rest now. Your journey must have been long and tiring. A guard will come to inform you once the dinner is ready." And with that Temari left the room.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The sun had barely even risen up in the sky when Hinata woke up from just another nightmare the next morning. She hadn't attended to dinner the previous night, too exhausted to even walk. After checking Gaara's room for any possible traps she returned to her room and fell asleep. Her sleep was, as always, filled with nightmares though.

She covered her sweaty face with her trembling hands as she tried to control her breathing. Every night she would have nightmares and every day she would wake up too shaken up by those nightmares to even breathe. After so many years it had ended up being nothing but a stupid routine. She had gotten used to it all.

She stood up from her bed and after taking a quick shower and getting dressed in some regular clothes; she took her katana and exited her room. Once she had closed the door of her room behind her she turned to look at the closed door of Gaara's room. He must be asleep, she thought and walked away. Two guards were standing outside Gaara's door and so there wouldn't be a problem if she went to the kitchen in order to grab something to eat.

She had to walk through many halls, past many rooms and walk down many staircases in order to reach the kitchen and like any other room in the Kazekage's residence the kitchen was huge. A short fat man was standing in the middle of the kitchen and yelling at all his subordinate cooks and maids to hurry with the making of breakfast as the Kazekage would wake up soon and there were many guards that needed to be fed as well.

Hinata walked towards the yelling cook with the thick black moustache above his lips and he turned to look at her with a raised eyebrow for a moment until he got a closer look at her eyes and his eyes widened in shock.

"Good morning" Hinata said politely as the cook kept on looking at her in shock. "Could I please have-"

"Oh! Miss Hyuga!" The cook exclaimed once he hoped out of his trance. "Temari-san had me informed about your arrival here. I was disappointed that you didn't show up for dinner last night though. I was hoping in meeting you sooner."

"I'm sorry about last night sir…"

"Oh right! I didn't give you my name! Ι'm Keigo, Miss Hyuga. Keigo Araki, Kazekage-sama's personal cook. Nobody in this land cooks as well as I do." He said with a prideful smile on his lips. Hinata didn't like the fact that he was calling her Miss Hyuga, but she let it slip this time, knowing that everyone would probably call her the same, unaware that she was no longer a Hyuga.

"So, where do I owe the pleasure of having you in my kitchen? The breakfast has not been served yet."  
"I know, that's why I came to eat something before the Kazekage and his family sit down to have their breakfast." She said and Keigo gave her a questioning look.

"I don't understand Miss Hyuga. Temari-san said that you would sit down in the dining hall for meals with them."

"Probably, but I'm not here as a guest but as a ninja who'll protect the Kazekage. That's why I think it would be more right if I was to just eat something quickly in the kitchen rather than dine with them." The cook smiled at Hinata. She was a modest girl.

"Ok then." He said and told her to sit on a nearby table while he prepared something for her to eait. When he returned to her side, his hands were full of plates.

"Here you go." He said and sat on the chair opposite from her, waiting for her reaction on his heavenly like dishes.

Hinata looked at all the dishes in horror. She would never be able to eat all that much, but she took a bite from the dish that was closer to her. She didn't want to offend that sweet cook with the rosy chubby cheeks sitting opposite from her and waiting for her opinion.

"It is delicious" She truthfully said and Keigo's face lightened up to hear such a compliment from a young and beautiful lady like Hinata. "Although I think that a few spices would make it irresistible."

"You think?" Keigo asked as he motioned one of his subordinate cooks to bring him the basket with the spices.

"Yeah I think that a little Beni-shouga and some wasabi would make it even better." The cook did as she said and once he added the spices and tasted the food a wide smile crossed his face.

"You, Miss Hyuga, sure know about cooking." Hinata couldn't help but smile a bit at the compliment and watched as Keigo ordered the other cooks to add the spices in the food.

Hinata carried on with her meal. All those people running from side to side in the kitchen, made her feel much less lonely.

A man pushed the doors open and entered the kitchen. He was tall and thin with black short hair and strict eyes that waited for just one mistake to be done in order for him to start yelling. Hinata sighed and returned her attention to her food. He was just like the men in the Hyuga council; she couldn't help but think, until she remembered that she had seen that specific man in Gaara's office the day before. He was standing quietly a little further from his Kazekage and she understood that he must be his personal advisor. What a drag must have been for Gaara to have a man like him over his head all day long. She pitied him there for a moment until she shook her self and reminded herself that it was none of her business.

"Miss Hyuga." She turned around to look at the man who called her with this strict and monotone voice. It wasn't Keigo, but Gaara's advisor, the man whose attitude reminded her so much of her cold relatives. She stood up from her seat as he walked towards her. "I was looking everywhere for you Miss Hyuga."

"Is something the matter?" She asked. She didn't know his name and she was sure that she didn't want to know it.

"Not exactly. I just wanted to inform you that your new uniform is delivered for you in your room." She raised a well shaped dark eyebrow at that."

"New uniform? I thought I was supposed to wear whatever I like as long as I do my job right."

"I'm afraid that this cannot happen, Miss Hyuga. As Kazekage-sama's personal bodyguard you should also wear the proper attire. You can't do whatever you want. You are just an employee here, nothing more." Hinata narrowed her eyes at him.

"So are you. So don't order me around." She said, her voice a warning. She turned around to leave and not punch him when his voice stopped her before she could exit the kitchen.

"What arrogance. Your family must be ashamed of you. That's why they disowned you after all Miss Hyuga, isn't that right?" She turned around to glare at him. "I had a quick look at your file. A disowned Hyuga heir. Quiet interesting if you ask me." Everyone in the kitchen had now stopped whatever they were doing and were looking at them.

"This is no way to talk to young lady, Manabu-san." Keigo stepped in, but the man with the strict eyes paid him no mind.

"So what did you do for them to throw you out of the clan? I also heard that your father was killed a few days before you were disowned. So what was it? Did you kill your father or something?" In a flash Hinata had Manabu pinned on the floor with a kunai held against his throat and her katana dangerously pressing against his stomach. Everyone gasped in shock and Keigo simply crossed his arms over his chest as if expecting that reaction from the ex Hyuga.

"You don't know a single thing about me, Manabu-san!" She said in rage.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." He warned her and as if on queue guards ran inside the kitchen and surrounded them, while aiming their weapons at her. She laughed though, not the least fazed by the whole situation.

"Seriously" She sarcastically said "Do you think I'm afraid of a bunch of chuunins? I have faced criminals that would have sliced your throat within the split of a second. When I was fighting in the war, you were hiding to save your life. So don't pretend you are anyone important for this world."

She stood up, placing her kunai back to one of the pockets on her belt and her katana back to its sheath on her back just when Temari entered the kitchen and shouted for the guards to put their weapons down and immediately leave from the kitchen. Keigo then turned and ordered everyone to return to their own business.

"Stand up." Temari said to Manabu with narrowed eyes and Manabu immediately stood up, dusted himself off and bowed to the Kazekage's sister in respect. "Would you like to tell me what this is all about before I have to call my brother here to find out on his own?" She said and Manabu trembled in fear.

"It was nothing important, Temari-sama, just a friendly chitchat between me and Miss Hyuga."

"Yeah the whole village must have heard of your friendly chitchat, including my brother. Now leave from my sight before I loose my patience" She threatened him and he immediately left without speaking another word. Temari then motioned for Hinata to follow her and together they left the kitchen.

"Is that Manabu, always an ass like that or is it just me overreacting?" Hinata asked and Temari chuckled.

"No, you are not overreacting, believe me!" Hinata smirked.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

When Hinata and Temari walked inside Gaara's office Gaara was waiting while leaning against his desk.

"Took you long enough" Gaara said, more to Hinata than Temari. Hinata raised an eyebrow at that.

"Took us long enough for what?" She asked, but his face remained, as always, motionless.

"I have no meetings arranged for this morning as today I was planning to take my monthly stroll through the village to talk with civilians and see what problems there are. I thought that you, as my bodyguard, would like to come with me, but of course you were late because you had to pick up a fight with my personal advisor! This means that I can do nothing but rearrange that stroll for tomorrow!" Gaara's voice was filled with sarcasm and accusation. Hinata didn't like that.

"I didn't know that kages had snakes like Manabu for their personal advisors." Gaara narrowed his eyes at that. For some weird reason he seemed to trust Manabu.

"But he was right though. It wouldn't hurt if you showed some respect once in a while."

"You heard everything and you still side with him!" Hinata said, not believing in her ears. "How can you-"

"What I do or think is none of your business." Gaara interrupted her. "I'm a kage. You can't question my actions." Hinata felt her insides burning with anger.

"No, you are not a kage that no one can question his actions" She said. "You are just a kid who thinks too highly of his self. There's quiet a difference between those two you know." He was about to protest, Temari could see it on his face, but Hinata bowed, making it the end of their conversation before she left his office without speaking another word.

Gaara watched her as she left and then closed his eyes in an attempt to calm down. With the Hyuga around, his days would be anything but boring and dull, he thought.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

When Gaara entered the dinning hall back at his house that same evening, the long wooden table was already made. He took his regular seat at the head of the table just as Temari entered the room and took her seat as well.

Temari looked at her brother for a moment before she sighed. After his little quarrel with Hinata in the morning, he had barely even spoken. Instead he would just sit or roam, lost in his own thoughts.

"So" Temari started to say in an attempt to get a few words out of him "When is Kankuro coming back from his mission?"

"Two days" That's all he said and spoke no more as servants came to bring more plates filled with Keigo's tasteful treasures. Temari's eye twitched. Two words? That was all she got to have? TWO DAMN WORDS?! She was pondering the idea of smacking him hard on the face in order to get him out of his trance when Hinata entered the room and Gaara shot his head up at once.

Hinata was about to enter the kitchen through the door that connected the kitchen with the dinning hall when Gaara's voice made her stop.

"Where do you think you are going?" He asked, his voice flat and emotionless as always. She turned and looked at him a tad surprised. Why did he care anyway?

"If you don't mind me, Kazekage-sama, I would like to go and grab something to eat."

"Grab something to eat? In the kitchen?"

"Yes."

"Don't be silly! Just sit down. I thought I had given out my orders straight. For as long as you live here you will be dinning in the same room I do." He said and then he rushed to bring out his excuse. "It's a matter of safety. You are my bodyguard, aren't you? You will be able to protect me better this way."

"Don't order me around…" Her reply was simple and straight, not angry but monotonous and dull. She turned around, deciding to disobey his orders and dine in the kitchen when Gaara punched his fist on the wooden table.

"I said sit down! It is an order!" He was angry; she could sense his annoyance filling the air in the room. He was not used to have people disobey him. For whole his life people either feared him or just never went against his orders. And that young woman was neither. She was passionate of her independence and he also guessed she was strong- Tsunade was asked to send one of her best Anbus after all. But Hinata was also broken, it was pictured in her eyes, but she was hiding it quiet well. He, though, had managed to see it, because he would once see it in his eyes as well.

Much to Gaara's surprise, Hinata took a seat opposite from Temari without saying another word. He looked at her, trying to understand why she had decided to do what he said for once, but he then realized that she probably didn't know that herself.

Temari just looked at Gaara shocked and then turned her gaze on Hinata. What was the thing that had made her brother speak out all of a sudden when all her attempts to get some words out of him all day long had proved to be in vain?

A servant entered the room, holding a trace with three glasses of whine. Hinata's eyes fell on him. He was walking slowly towards them, afraid of breaking anything and making his self look like a fool before his Kazekage. That was what most would think, including Gaara and Temari, but she looked past it. She was the cold lone drop of sweat roll down the side of his face, the slide trembling of his hands and shoulders and the something else. She activated her byakugan, letting her hair cover hair eyes so that nobody would realize what she just did. And then she saw it: he shining object hidden beneath the servant's apron. A kunai, Hinata thought and deactivated her byakugan.

And then, as the servant was setting the glass of whine in front of Gaara, with a motion so quick that the others couldn't even blink, she took a kunai from her belt and plugged it deep into the man's heart, whose lifeless body fell on the ground while his blood started creating a small pool around him.

Gaara stood up in rage while Temari and the rest just looked on in shock. Keigo ran out of his kitchen when he heard one of the maids scream before she collapsed.

"What on earth-"Keigo tried to say but his voice was covered with the Kazekage's furious one.

"Are you crazy?" Gaara shouted at Hinata. "What do you think you are doing killing my staff? You just killed someone from Suna! Are you trying to begin a war or anything?"

"No" Hinata said calmly. "I am just trying to protect you"

"What are you talking about?" He shouted again but Hinata ignored him and bent down next to the lifeless body of the servant.

"Tell me Kazekage-sama: are your servants allowed to carry weapons on them?" She asked.

"Of course not! And if they were allowed to, none of those I've hired is a ninja anyway."

"Really? I don't think you are that well informed of the people you hire, Kazekage-sama" She said and pulled the kunai from beneath the servant's apron. "This" She said and raised the kunai for Gaara to see. "looks like a weapon to me" She smirked at the shocked expression that his face obtained. "And let's also see that glass of whine now, shall we?" She took the glass of whine that was served to Gaara and walked towards the other servant that had been standing at the other corner of the room. She had seen him looking at the servant she had just killed as if trying to pass him a message. She stood before the tall man and raised the glass to him. "Why don't you try some? From what I've heard, Suna is the best at making wine. And the best is always served to the Kazekage I suppose. So why don't you drink a bit and tell me if what I've heard is right?"

Everyone was looking curiously now as the servant lost his calm and started to tremble a bit.

"I don't like wine, Miss"

"Oh don't be shy now… have a taste. I've heard that only one drop can send you to heaven… or hell" She smirked as cold sweat started staining his face. Gaara was looking intently at the scene, still finding it hard to believe that if it wasn't for Hinata he would have already been killed.

"I-I-I-"

"Drink Michio!" Keigo ordered but the servant just shook his head from side to side in fear. Gaara then sighed and sat back on his chair.

"Guards!" Gaara called and at only the sound of his voice two guards ran inside the room and bowed before him. "Lock him and guard him 24/7. He will be interrogated tomorrow." And with that the two guards dragged Michio out of the room.

Hinata turned and looked at him with a smug smile on her soft pink lips.

"How did you know about the wine?" Gaara couldn't help but ask as he looked at her.

"Those eyes can see everything, Kazekage-sama" Hinata said with her index finger pointing at her light lavender eyes. "They saw the kunai beneath your servant's apron and the weird drug in your drink."

"Drug?"

"Poison." She said. "If you send it your medics you would hear the exact same thing. Those who tried to assassinate you tonight though, were amateurs, which means that the one hiding behind it all was not actually trying to kill you tonight, but to make his presence clear to you and everyone else. Because when you decide to kill a Kage you don't let amateurs to do the job for you. He just wants us to fear him. That bastard sure has guts."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Only the moonlight coming through the large windows, would light their way through the dark corridor leading to their rooms. Gaara turned and looked at her before turning his head to look forward again. No guards were following them this time. He had ordered them not to follow. He wanted to thank her for what saving his life earlier and he knew that he wouldn't be able to do anything like that while having a bunch of guards all over his head.

"I'm amazed" Gaara's voice made her light lavender eyes fall on him at once. She furrowed her eyebrows in wonder. What was he amazed about? "I thought that you would be nothing but trouble for me, but I was proved wrong. I guess you are of some use after all."

"Well thank you for your kind words Kazekage-sama" She sarcastically said. _You are of some use after all_, what a great way to make a compliment.

"Gaara"

"Excuse me?"

"My name is Gaara, not Kazekage-sama" He said as they stopped right outside from the closed doors of their rooms. Hinata looked at him speechless for a moment.

"As you wish." She said after a moment and silence fell between them once more. Gaara was looking into her eyes, trying to find to bring out the words. He had never said thank you in his life before and it was hard to start doing it now.

Hinata sighed.

"If what you are trying to do is thank me for earlier then know that you don't have to. I was doing my job, that's what you hired me for after all, right? I became your bodyguard in order to protect you, so, no thanks are needed." She was about to turn away when he softly grabbed her arm and turned her around to face him again.

"You told me not to order you around, so don't order me around as well! You can't tell me whether I'll thank you or not. If I want to say thank you I'll say it! So… thank you. I mean it… thank you." She looked at him somewhat surprised at his words and that almost invisible pink colour that dusted his cheeks for a moment and then immediately disappeared. She said nothing though knowing that it must have been embarrassing for him to say it out loud.

"I need to know something." He then said, regaining his composure.

"What is it?"

"I heard that you were disowned from your clan, is it true?" He was asking out of interest, she noticed and she couldn't keep the sad smile from reaching her lips as memories emerged.

"Yes, it is true, but your advisor must have already told you that now, hasn't he?" She said. "Four years ago, a few days after my father's funeral, but they didn't disown me. I left the clan on my own free will. But Hyugas were never in favour of free will and the seal on my forehead will be forever there to prove that." Gaara looked at her forehead. She had it covered with her headband protector, hiding the caged bird seal from anyone's view. He didn't know.

"Why did you leave your clan?" He couldn't help but ask. He knew she was an heiress in the past, and it all made her decision even weirder to understand. Her eyes then saddened even if she didn't want them to. Sadness showed nothing but weakness, she would always say.

"That is none of your business to know of." She turned around and she had opened the door of her room when Gaara spoke for one last time.

"My eyes can see many things too, Hinata" _Hinata_, since when did he have the freedom to call her by just her name? "And I can see your pain. The pain you are trying to hide from everyone. I held that pain too, once." Her hand tightened on the doorknob of her door. His words made her want to cry. How had he managed to see through her? How had he managed to see the pain in her heart that no one had managed to see before? And why did he even care when he barely even knew her?

"Goodnight, Gaara" She just said and shot her door closed.


	4. Chapter 3: Rose of Consolation

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto! *MUMBLES* Unfortunately *MUMBLES*^^**

New chapter everyone! This took quiet some time to write, but it's eventually here! Hope you enjoy! 

**Chapter 3: Rose of Consolation**

Gaara sat up on his bed and ran a hand through his auburn locks of hair. The moon was up in the sky outside and the sky was still a pitch black colour, yet he was awake. It had already been two weeks since Hinata had arrived at Suna and every night she would wake up from her nightmares, screaming and then crying herself to sleep. He would wake up every night, hearing her screams. He was bothered by that to say the least. Not because it annoyed him, but because it would always make his heart ache a bit every time he would hear her screams and crying. Under the light of the sun she was strong and fearless, she was his bodyguard, yet when the night would fall she would become weak and in need for protection like a little child. And he would wake up every night- every single night- and he would never go back to sleep after that. He would be always sitting on his bed waiting for the sun to rise while getting lost in his thoughts. He couldn't understand his own mind and heart any more. Why did he have the urge to run into her room and hug her in order to let her know that whatever the problem was it would eventually pass?

It was, probably, understanding, he thought as he got out of bed and got dressed. For as long as he could remember his nights would be filled with nightmares of blood and death and when he'd wake up screaming and searching for someone to just be there and console him, there was nobody around. He knew how she felt, although he didn't know what the reason of her pain could be.

He walked out of his room and couldn't help but chuckle at the sight of his two guards sleeping while leaning against the wall. And to think that they were supposed to be there in order to protect him.

Suna Fools, Gaara thought as one of the guards started to snore and the Kazekage tried hard not to laugh. Gaara coughed the best he could in order to get their attention, but the guards kept snoring. Gaara sighed.

"Shin! Shou! Wake up!" He said and the twins jumped out of their sleep and started to panic once they realized that Gaara had caught the red handed.

"Kazekage-sama!" They said and bowed. "Sumimasen, Kazekage-sama!"

"No need to say sorry, I understand. That's why I woke you up. It's not comfortable sleeping out here."

"No don't worry, Kazekage-sama. We've got used to it" Shou rushed to say and Shin hit him had on the head whispering something like 'You fool! You just told the Kazekage we fall asleep every night!' to his younger twin brother. Gaara smirked.

"Why don't you go back home and sleep like every normal person does?" The twins shot up their heads at once with shock and fear clearly pictured in their eyes.

"Are you firing us Kazekage-sama?" They almost cried, but Gaara chuckled with their reaction. Those two were just too much to deal with sometimes, but somehow they always managed to lighten his mood.

"No no, I'm just telling you to go and rest. There is no need to stay outside my room for whole the night."

"But Kazekage-sama-"

"I said go!" Gaara said more seriously this time.

"Doumo arigatou gozaimasu, Kazekage-sama!" The twins bowed and made their leave with huge grins plastered on their faces. Gaara chuckled again as he saw them celebrating to have a normal night for once.

He then turned to look at Hinata's closed door and sighed before starting to walk away. He needed to breathe some fresh air and calm down.

Without even realizing it he was walking through the corridors of the Kazekage Tower, heading towards his office. Once he opened the door of his office he saw a young woman sitting at his chair and preparing the paperwork for him to sign the following day.

"Matsuri" The said young woman shot her head up from the papers and smiled politely to her Kazekage. "What are you still doing staying up so late?"

"It is not that late, Kazekage-sama"

"It is 3: 45" Gaara said and Matsuri yawned "And you're tired"

"But there's still a lot off work that needs to be done and-"

"And I'll do it!" Gaara insisted. "I have no sleep after all, so I might as well be useful, right?"

"As you wish" Matsuri said with a soft and friendly smile but before she could walk out of the office she turned around to ask him something that had kept her awake and worried for many nights now.

"Ah, em… can I… ask something more?" Gaara just nodded his head waiting for her answer. Matsuri's cheeks turned red and she looked away nervously. "When is… Kankuro going to come back from his mission? It has been almost a month since he left."

Gaara smiled. With the years Matsuri had gotten over her crush for him and even if she never confessed he could see it in her eyes and moves. And with the years that passed Matsuri had fallen for his older brother and even if she would melt at just one of his smile, Kankuro was too oblivious about her love for him, always sleeping around with girls that would never love him as much as Matsuri did. One the one hand, Gaara was glad that Matsuri had fallen in love with his older brother, because he, Sabaku no Gaara, knew that he would never be able to return her feeling. On the other hand thought, the whole situation was making him furious. Because with every girl Kankuro would sleep, with every girl he'd kiss, Matsuri's heart would break even more and more every time. That alone made him want to punch his brother, but he was sure that if he wasn't the one who would punch Kankuro then Hinata would certainly do as Kankuro never missed the chance of hitting on _the new girl around_. He wanted to chuckle at that.

"He will be here tomorrow morning." Matsuri's face lightened up at just his words and thanked him for telling her, before she took her leave. Gaara was sure that she would be in his office early in the morning, waiting for Kankuro. It was amazing what love could do to people.

He stood up from his chair and locked the doors of his office before walking towards his desk once more. He unlocked the drawer on his right and took out a yellow file. He read the name of the ninja that was written with big capital letters on the back of the file: HINATA HYUGA. It was sent a few days before Hinata's arrival at Suna.

He opened the file and started reading one by one the papers inside. They were about missions she had taken part in from the day she became a gennin up to the day she was included into the body of Anbus. She had taken part in the Fourth Shinobi World War, but what made his eyes widen in shock was that she had been the one who killed the Uchiha bastard. He hadn't witnessed his death, but once the Uchiha dropped dead under the rain everyone cheered for the Hyuga that had managed to kill the monster called Sasuke. But that's all they referred to Uchiha's killer: A Hyuga, they'd say, a Hyuga killed the last of the Uchihas. A Hyuga killed Uchiha Sasuke. A Hyuga was all they ever said. No first name, not anything. But how could he have ever imagined that the shy Hyuga girl he remembered from his chuunin exams could have turned into a Shinobi strong enough to kill a criminal like Sasuke? Because Gaara remembered her, not her name, but when he'd sometimes sit under the starry sky after a long and tiring training, he would from time to time recall the chuunin exams and all of those who had participated. And among all those faces was hers.

Gaara flipped the pages one by one until he found what he was searching for. Her past- and most probably the cause of her nightmares. Not many things were written. Disowned Hyuga Heir and dead parents were among them, but what caught his eye was a detail that Tsunade had made sure to add in Hinata's file. He threw the papers away, letting them scatter all over the place. It all made sense to him now. Her father was murdered right before her eyes two years back.

So, that's what changed her, he thought and something in his heart slightly dropped: she is seeking for revenge.

He shook his head trying to get rid of all those unneeded thoughts. Why did he even care when he barely even knew her?

He walked towards the window and watched how beautiful Suna looked under the glistering moonlight. And he stayed there, silent, until the morning came.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"And is that new bodyguard of yours sexy?"

"This is the millionth time you ask me since you came back from you mission and it's only been an hour, Kankuro!" Gaara whined. Seriously, for an older brother Kankuro was way too hard to deal with at times.

"Yeah and you still haven't answered my question!" Kankuro said with a groan of annoyance. "Is she sexy or not?"

"Just a word of advice for you, Kankuro, that is the only thing I'm going to give you: Don't mess with Hyuga Hinata." Kankuro raised an eyebrow at his little brother's smirk.

"And why not?"

"Because, if you're lucky, you might end up in the hospital."

"Or else?"

"You'll land on a grave." Kankuro laughed.

"She sounds interesting." He said and Gaara shrugged his shoulders in fake indifference.

"Tell me why you are interested in my bodyguard again?"

"I always had fantasies involving sexy bodyguards with huge boobs and bossy character. If you know what I mean little brother." Kankuro said and winked at him while Gaara's cheeks burned up.

"I get it, I get it. Now shut up and let me finish with my work!" Gaara said and Kankuro chuckled. A light knock on the door was enough to make Kankuro take a hold of his self and control himself once more, but when a beautiful and sexy young woman walked inside he just lost it.

"I'm surprised." Kankuro turned to look at Gaara once he heard him speak. The smirk on his baby brother's face and the slight teasing tone in his voice took him by surprise. "You came right on time for once Lady Hinata."

Hinata sighed.

"Cut the crap with that _Lady Hinata _thing will you? My headache is already too bad for me to deal with all that." She said and groaned before she walked and sat on the edge of his desk with her arms crossed over her chest. She then turned and looked at Kankuro. "And you must be Kankuro" She said or more like stated.

"You wouldn't happen to be my baby brother's bodyguard now, would you?" Gaara glared him for the _baby brother_ thing, but Kankuro paid him no mind and just proceeded with flirting his brother's sexy bodyguard. "Well, you're so much more than I expected, Miss Hyuga. It's a pleasure to meet you." He said and kissed her hand, but Hinata just narrowed her eyes at him and Gaara shook his head at his borther's motions. Kankuro seemed to realize none of that though.

"Tell me, Miss Hyuga, would you happen to be an angel? Cause I think I'm in heaven." Hinata just restrained the urge to roll her eyes.

"No, Kankuro-san, I don't remember seeing any wings the last time I looked my self in the mirror." She said flatly, but Kankuro didn't seem the list phased by her answer. To him, Hinata was just another play-hard-to-get chick that would eventually fall for his endless list of pick-up lines and his irresistible, as he would always call it, charm.

"Say, Miss Hyuga, would you happen to have a map with you? I think I just got lost in your eyes." Kankuro said with a smug smile plastered on his face and Gaara just coughed in an attempt to warn Kankuro as Hinata seemed eager to just kill him any moment now.

Many questions like these followed, but when Kankuro asked Hinata something that had to do with how she liked having sex, Gaara immediately stood up and drugged Kankuro outside his office, before he sat back down on his desk and sighed in relief that Hinata had not managed to kill his brother just yet.

A light melodic laugh echoed throughout the Kazekage's office making Gaara turn and look at his bodyguard surprised. Had she just laughed? And what a beautiful laugh she had. Gaara shook his head to get rid of the unwanted thoughts.

"Thank god you're not like you're brother." She said as her laugh ceased. Gaara raised an eyebrow at that.

"Why is that?"

"Because I think that if you were like Kankuro, I wouldn't be able to deal with you the least. At least now, the way you are, you are not so hard to deal with. You still have the ability to drive me mad at times, but I've got used to it by now."

"That's an honest answer." He said slightly amazed.

"I never lie."

_I never lie_ she said, Gaara thought, smirking inside. Being surrounded by people who wouldn't loose the chance to lie in order to succeed in their secret goals, he was glad that at least she would be honest with him.

A knock on the door made their attention slip towards the blonde young woman with the sparkling energetic eyes that entered the office.

"Are you two ready?" Temari asked while swirling a small fan around her index finger.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Hinata tried hard to hide the amazement that filled her eyes as she looked around. They were walking through the open market of Suna and the streets ere crowded with people who wanted to see their Kazekage or talk to him about their problems. In the two weeks she had been in Suna, she had never, not even once, taken a walk through the village to take a look. Seeing the warm people, the familiar atmosphere and the excessive beauty of Suna made her promise to herself that she would stroll through the village whenever she was free from her duties as the Kazekage's bodyguard.

_The Kazekage's bodyguard,_ she thought as she shifted her eyes to look at Gaara who was talking with civilians, trying to solve their problems or promise that he would do everything he could to help them while small children kept listening to him with admiration. His words weren't lies, she couldn't help but notice. He was honest with the people of Suna and they appreciated that and loved him in return. Even if he would always pretend to be tough, his behaviour now proved to her that he was warmer and softer than he wanted others to think he was. She couldn't help a small smile from reaching her lips.

She felt a small hand tugging on the hem of her shirt to get her attention and Hinata shifted her eyes to look at the short girl standing before her. She was very young, almost twelve if Hinata had to guess, yet she was thin and seemed so frail, with short black hair and blue eyes begging for some attention.

"Ex-Excus-se m-me M-Miss." The girl shuttered out. "Ar-re y-you a n-ninja?"

"Yes." Hinata said as she bent down on the girl's level. "Yes I am." That little girl reminded Hinata so much of how she was when she was a gennin, that it was kind of distracting. "I'm an Anbu" _Or used to be until I was assigned to protect your Kazekage_, Hinata added in her head.

"A-An Anbu!" The girl's face beamed with excitement. "Tht m-means you must b-be s-so strong!" The girl said but then her face saddened and she held her head low. "I-I o-only wish I c-could b-be as s-strong a-as you one d-day, Miss. B-But I-I am useless and a-always b-bring sh-shame to m-my father. I am s-so weak." Hinata's eyes widened in shock at her words as her own memories immerged. She rested her hand on the girl's head and she smiled as the girl raised her head to look at her.

"You already are strong; I can put my hand into fire for that." Hinata said, giving the girl the support she never really had when she was in her age. "We all are strong in a different manner each of us. As the years will pass you'll realize that your hands might not be as strong as some others', but you are sure to have a strength they don't."

"A-And h-how w-will I f-find th-that strength, Miss?" Hinata smiled again.

"Life plays us some weird games some times. You'll find your strength when the time is right." Hinata said and the girl's cheeks turned red with happiness before she bowed to Hinata.

"Thank y-you, s-sempai" The girl said before she dashed away.

_Sempai_, Hinata thought and suddenly Kiba's words came back in her mind. Maybe giving up on Anbu and training a gennin team in return wouldn't be that much of a bad idea after all.

Gaara on the other hand had seen the whole seen unravel right before his eyes and seeing Hinata's softness and kindness come to the surface so unexpectedly, made something flutter in his chest. Gaara brought a hand to his chest. What a weird feeling, he thought but Hinata's worried face brought him out of his thoughts. Why would she be worried about him? He couldn't help but wonder.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, just fine." He said as they started walking back towards the Kazekage tower. Hinata's attention fell on some bushed with roses at the left side of the road and Gaara noticed. Those roses were like nothing she had ever seen in Konoha. They were a light shade of pink combined with the relaxing colour of the sand. Beautiful, Hinata thought.

"They are Sand Roses and they only grow here, in Suna." Gaara said and she turned her head to look at him. "Many call them Roses of Consolation though. People used to believe that just one rose could take someone's pain and sadness away." Gaara's voice trailed off.

Hinata said nothing and just looked into the distance. If those roses could ake her pain away then see would take them all. Then she would probably stop hurting once and for all.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

She shot up from her bed with a scream still on her lips and tears staining her cheeks. The full moon was up at the sky outside.

Hinata heaved as she tried to control her breathing once more. She would do everything just to have those nightmares once and for all. After all those years memories of that night were still haunting her, making her shiver and tremble in fear. They made her fell weak and she didn't like that.

She brushed her tears away with the back of her hand when her eyes fell on what was laying right next to her pillow. She took the rose in her hands, so carefully, as if afraid to break it into pieces. And suddenly Gaara's words echoed in her head. _Many call them Roses of Consolation though. People used to believe that just one rose could take someone's pain and sadness away_, he had said the same morning.

She stood up from her bed with the beautiful rose still in her hand. She walked towards the window and looked outside, at the young man sitting on the soft grass in the garden, looking up at the endless night sky and the moon, that unknown to her it reminded him so much of her eyes.

She brought the rose close to her face and its intoxicate and sweet scent made her smile. She knew he had brought it to her, Gaara, although she also knew that he would never admit it.

She walked back to her bed and lay back down, hugging the rose close to her chest, wishing that it would take her pain away.

She closed her eyes again, this time not the least afraid of her nightmares because she knew that she wouldn't have any. The rose of consolation, could it be that Gaara was her rose of consolation? It was weird, she thought. She had never felt like that before, not even when she had that crush on Naruto.

And as she breathed Gaara's name, she knew for sure that she was weak. But maybe, just for this once, weakness wasn't that bad to accept. Just for this night, she would admit to herself that she was weak-weak because even if she managed to block all of her feelings for the past four years, her heart proved to be stronger than her in the end.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Hyugas were running maniacally throughout the compound, through fallen lifeless bodies, blood stained corridors and flames, in an attempt to save their lives.

A branch house member was lying among others, right on the verge of death, his breath coming out in heavy heaves as his hands turned into fists on his sides.

He could barely see anything as his sight was slowly going blur with every drop of blood that would further stain his white shirt.

"Neji nii-san! Neji nii-san!" A girl screamed. He knew that voice.

"Hanabi-sama! We should leave immediately! We need to protect you!"

"No! Let go of me Ko! I said let go! Neji nii-san… Neji nii-san needs my help! Let go!"

Neji heard as Hanabi's voice disappeared in the distance as they dragged her away to save her life, while he just laid there, knowing that his time was almost up. He saw the blurred form of a man dressed in a long crimson cloak hover over him. Neji couldn't see his face, but he could see the man's white byakugan eyes and the odd bloody red caged bird seal on his forehead.

And he closed his eyes, waiting for his death to come.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Next chapter coming soon!


	5. Chapter 4: A death and a life

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto 'cause If I did I would have already made NaruHina cannon-lol! ^^**

New chapter everyone! This took quiet some time to write, but it's eventually here! Hope you enjoy!

**Chapter 4: A death and a Life**

Hinata stood before the tall well built guard waiting for his reply, with her arms crossed over her chest and a stern look crossing her face when she realized that it was taking him too much time for a simple decision like that.

"Will you let me inside or not? I don't have all night." She said but he just looked at her without answering for another full minute.

"Alright, but if Kazekage-sama gets angry with me for letting you inside despite his orders then I'll throw all the blame on you. Remember that." He said once he unlocked the very old heavy wooden doors of the prison and Hinata walked past him without caring the least bit of the possibility of Gaara finding out that she had gone against his orders and decided to disobey him once more. _He will thank me for that later_,she thought as the doors closed behind her and she started walking through the barely light up dirty corridors of Suna's prison, searching for the cell of the man that had tried to poison Gaara almost three weeks before. He had not revealed a simple thing about the man that had ordered him and his friend to poison and kill Gaara, despite the tough interrogation he went throughout all those weeks. Hinata had decided to change that. She knew that the more time they waited for Michio to speak the more time his leader would have to plan and carry out the next assassination attempt against Gaara.

She started walking down some stairs while being lost in her thoughts. Gaara had forbidden her to interrogate Michio for whichever reason he only knew.

She walked through another corridor, trying hard to make out the numbers above each cell in search of the one with the number 286.

_286…286…286…_, she was repeating inside. She turned around the corner with her steps being the only sound that broke the deathly silence. She stopped. Something just wasn't right. She stayed silent, trying to find what was wrong, until she heard it: that heavy breathing and panting. She immediately activated her byakugan, unable to see in all that darkness without it, and looked ahead, towards the cell at the far end of the corridor before her. She looked at the number of the cell and cursed. _Cell 286…_

"Damn it!"

She ran towards the cell and slipped through the half open door before quickly bending down next to the heavily bleeding and barely alive man who was looking at her through half open and tired dark brown eyes. He couched and she panicked as she was trying to find where he was hurt. She then pressed her palm against the side of his neck once she found the open wound and tried to stop the bleeding.

"Michio! Hey, Michio! Don't die, damn it! Not yet." She half shouted before she turned her head towards the open door of the cell and yelled with all her might. "GUARDS! HELP! SOMEBODY HELP! HE IS WOUNDED! CALL THE MEDICS!" She then turned her head and looked at Michio once more. He was moving his lips, trying to say something. She leaned closer trying to hear the words that were barely leaving his throat.

"He… did… it… he… came… he-re…wounded… me… he wants… kill the… he… you… eyes… kill… plan… blood… same… seal." His voice was rough and barely audible.

"I don't understand." Hinata said, desperate to find some answers. "He did this to you? Your leader? The one who is behind the assassinations?" Michio nodded his head in reply. "What is his name? Do you know his name? She was asking as many questions as she could, knowing that his time was running out and that this was the last chance they had in finding out something more about the man hiding behind it all.

"Hyuga… white e-eyes… dif-formed…. face… broken seal…. He wants to kill… you… not the… Kazek-"His sentence ended there as he took one last deep trembling breath and then died.

Hinata's eyes were wide as she took her bloody hand away from his half slight neck. Pictures of that night four years ago seemed to be coming back. Hyuga. White eyes. Broken seal. Deformed face.

_She walked down the stairs with her byakugan activated. She had heard the sound of glass being broken from downstairs and she wanted to make sure that it wasn't anything bad. Her intuition was telling her otherwise though._

_She walked through the moonlight corridor before entering the living room. Her legs her bare and cold against the hard wooden floor._

_She stood at the entrance of the living room, looking around for any possible intruders. The window was broken and small pisses of glass were scattered everywhere on the floor. No matter how long she looked around the room she neither saw a single spark of charka nor sense anyone's presence. She shrugged her shoulders and sighed. She was just overreacting some times. But yet, how had the window broken. She shrugged again, trying to convince herself it was nothing of much importance and she turned around to return to her room, but she stopped once she felt the frozen and sharp blade of a kunai being pressed against her soft white neck. She gasped but a quick hand quickly covered her mouth. Then she felt a hot yet disgusting breath hit the side of her neck as the intruder she had been unable to notice, leaned in closer to whisper something in her ear._

"_Protest and you'll regret it. Scream and you're dead." He said, his voice as cold as the air coming through the broken window. She shivered in fear and a tear ran down her cheek. Who was that man? And most importantly: what did he want from her?_

_She dared to open her eyes and looked at their reflection on the large mirror hanging from the wall in the corridor outside the leaving room. And what she saw made her gasp once more. His eyes. He was a Hyuga. His heavily deformed face and wicked smile made her cringe. What shocked her the most though was the crimson red caged bird seal on his forehead. What was this? What was he?_

"_You'll find out one day" He said as if able to read her thoughts. What she was sure about is that she wasn't sure whether she wanted to find out who he was because it definitely wouldn't be any good._

When guards, medics, Temari, Kankuro and Gaara arrived she was still sitting on the stone made floor of the prison cell next to Michio's lifeless body, her hands stained with his blood and her light lavender eyes wide open.

Gaara and Temari walked towards her and helped her up but once they saw she was too shocked to even stand on her feet, Gaara picked her up in his arms and took her away from the scene, whispering something along the lines of "calm down" and "it is alright, it will all pass" as if able to feel what she was feeling.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Gaara sighed as he watched Hinata wash the blood away from her hands, through the half open door of the bathroom. All the way back home she hadn't spoken a single word to him and kept lost in her own thoughts.

Hinata walked out of her bathroom while wiping her hands dry in a white towel. She then threw the towel away and walked towards the large windows of her bedroom, opening the heavy curtains wide open to watch as the sun rose in the distance with Gaara's eyes following her every move.

"The doctors that checked him in order to find the cause of his death spoke about suicide. They said that he sliced his own throat open with a broken piece of glass he found somewhere in his cell." Gaara said and a bitter smile graced her lips. "But, tell me, why don't I seem to believe them? Why do I think that they are either lying or ended up with the wrong diagnose?"

"Of course and it's not a suicide, Gaara. Michio was murdered. He told me himself." Hinata said and turned her eyes on him. They seemed a bit red, as if ready to shed tears. He said nothing about it though.

"What did he tell you", he asked instead.

"Just that… someone did this to him by force. He killed Michio because he was afraid of his betrayal, that he would tell us information we were never supposed to find out. And I'm sure that you know of whom I am talking about." Hinata said and Gaara immediately stood up.

"You mean that his own leader committed the murder? That is impossible. That man, no matter how foolish he may or may not be, would never risk to be captured by coming here just to kill a mere soldier of his."

"True" Hinata agreed. "but what if that man has nothing to be afraid of? He wanted us to know that he came himself, that he was so close to us that we could also have been dead now. He wants us to be afraid. Michio couldn't have known much about his leader's plan anyway. He was just a tool."

Gaara stayed silent, looking Hinata in the eye.

"You are hiding something from me, aren't you?" He said after some moments of silence, but Hinata didn't respond. "He also told you something else or else you wouldn't be all that shocked back then."

"The possibility of me freaking out due to the fact that a man died in my hands doesn't even pass your mind, does it Gaara?" She said and he smirked. It was obvious that she was keeping information from him, but why? What was there for her to win?

"You've had friends of yours die in your arms during the war and you didn't freak out, and you tell me you reacted that way for a man you didn't even know?"

"Are you questioning my motives, Kazekage-sama?"

"No, I just know you are lying, and since you seem unwilling to tell me what Michio confessed before leaving his last breath, I'll find out on my own" Gaara said and left the room before he could let his anger take over. Hinata rushed and locked the door before her legs were just too weak to keep her standing and she collapsed on the soft carpeted floor.

Since when had she become so weak?

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Gaara walked in his office and sat on his chair. For the next couple of hours he was signing papers while having people over his head telling him all sorts of things considering the village. He hadn't really heard a thing of what they were telling him though and he just made sure to node from time to time just to let them believe he was listening to them closely. No a single word left his mouth though. He was deeply lost in his thoughts and the person that popped up in his mind every single minute was no other than Hinata.

He suddenly fell a hand on his shoulder and he turned to see Temari smiling down at him while Manabu kept on talking non stop about facts of zero importance. Just then the doors of his office opened and Kankuro ran inside with a worried expression on his face.

"Gaara" Kankuro addressed his brother and Gaara immediately stood up.

"What's the matter Kankuro?" Gaara asked him.

"We have visitors, from Konoha. It's serious. They say they want to meet you, immediately!"

"Who are they?"

Kankuro stayed silent for a moment.

"Who are they, Kankuro?"

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Hinata stood outside of Gaara's office. A guard had come to her room to inform her that the Kazekage had asked for her to show up to his office immediately, yet now she was standing outside of the closed doors of his office and hesitating to go inside. She touched her heart with her heart. That weird feeling, she knew something was wrong.

She finally mastered the courage to knock on the door and once a barely audible "Come in" came from inside the office, she opened the door and walked inside.

What she saw shocked her though.

"Nee-chan!" Hanabi ran towards her twenty one year old sister and hugged her tightly, as tears of joy and sadness poured out of her eyes.

"Imouto" Hinata said affectionately as she hugged her sister back, both socked and happy to see her, but when they broke their hug and she saw the scar that ran across her sister's forehead, only shock remained. "Hanabi! What happened to you? Who did this to you?"

"Someone you can't even imagine" Said someone and Hinata raised her head to see her long time friend.

"Shikamaru", Hinata said still a tad shocked. "What… do you mean? Who marked my sister? Who put the curse seal on her forehead? Who could do something like that to her?"

"Someone you met a long time ago. More specifically four years ago, the night your father was murdered." Shikamaru said and Hinata's eyes grew wide. Gaara looked on the conversation quiet interested.

"You don't that… that man. But how?"

"He attacked us during the night five days ago. He burned the compound to asses. He killed many. Almost half of our clan was slaughtered." Hanabi said in tears and Hinata just stared at her, not believing her ears. "At fisrt he killed all the members of the main family, all the members of the Hyuga council and then many branch house members, whose corpses lay all over the place we used to call home. And among them was…"

"Was?" Hinata said with her voice cracking. "Was who?"

"Neji is dead, Hinata" Shikamaru said instead of Hanabi and held his head low. "I'm sorry for your loss.

Hinata froze in place and Gaara stood up from his chair, shocked as well to hear that Neiji Hyuga was dead. He only looked at Hinata now.

A tear stained her cheek and she immediately turned around to leave.

"Nee-chan, where are you going?"

Hinata stopped for a moment, but didn't turn to look at her sister. She didn't want Hanabi to see her teary eyes and tear stained face.

"I" Hinata said. "I'm going to Konoha. I'm going to bury my cousin with my own hands and then I'm going to wipe that man out of existence once and for all"

And with that she walked away and out of their sight.

She walked out of the Kazekage Tower. The night had fallen again and the streets were empty. She brought her hand to her chest again. It hurt so much that it felt like her heart was being ripped in two. Her breath caught up in her throat and her legs gave away under her. But before she could fall, strong hand caught her and she was gently brought against a toned and warm body.

"Hinata" She only heard his voice before she let darkness overtake her. Gaara, she thought.

She could remember what that man had told her the night he killed her father, words that still ringed in her ears: _You will loose everything; I'll make sure of that._

And he had kept his word to her. He had taken everything. The only thing that was left to her know was her life and she wouldn't hesitate to give her life if that meant that she would be able to kill him.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

**Gaara:** Ok, can you please tell me why it took you so long to write such a damn small chapter? For Kami-sama's sake!

**Me:** Urusai! I had a lot of homework to do and I never managed to have some free time for my self. But as soon I got that time I sat down and wrote the chapter.

**Gaara:** Yeah yeah ok, can you please tell me why on earth you killed Neji? What did the man do to you to deserve such treatment?

**Me:** First of all let's just say that Neji will play a big role in this story. And secondly, who do you think you are ordering me around?

**Gaara:** I'm your Kazekage!

**Me:** No, you are not…

**Gaara:** Yeah, whatever.


End file.
